The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-15
THE SLAUGHTER AT KOUTS
Coroner Letherman Finally Returns
Verdict as to Monday Nights Disaster.
The Company and Trainmen Severely Cen
sured, and Responsibility LOcated-Grand
Jury Summoned for an Investigation.

VALPARAISO Oct IA DIR. A. p. Letherman
coroner of Porter county, has returned from the
inquest Of the disaster at Kouts, on the Chicago
d. Atlantic railway. the coroner's notes show
the true version Of the accident according to
crews the trains:
Train No. 12 left Chicago time Monday
evening, Oct. 10.
Frederick Zeppenfield, the passenger engine
fireman, testified that they stopped for water.
but did not get quite close enough TO the tank.
The engine was disabled and had TO be ''pinched
off" (Removed from the dead center by crow
bar. The forv ard brakeman threw the soma
phore Then the engineer called him to nelp
the fireman pinch" the engine. "W lille we
we're at this heard a train whistle said to
tne engineer there was freight coming. looked
back, and saw the brakeman going west with
red and a white light. / heard the freight again
whistle down brakes. 1t YVES then about thirty
or forty car lengths from us. We kept pinch
ing at the engine as long as we dared, and then
got out of the way. i saw the rear brakeman
OF our train raise the red light. The freight
struck the sleeper. and pushed the train ahead.
The hind and front end OF the sleeper was hurt,
but not much of il in the middle. We helped
the passengers all we could We had order
at Boone Grove TO let No. Sc. a Wabash passen-
ger. around US.
train, testified that they reached the State Ditch
about midnight and stopped for water. They
had not been there more than three minutes be-
fore the other train struck them. II saw the
head brakeman throw the 3emaphore 1t was
minute ana a half after the semaphore
was turned until the train struck us. There Is
a down grade from the west there We broke
eccentric strap at Hubert Station. and were
using but one eide of my engine. We were de-
tanned BY orders meeting No. at Hammond
about thirty five minutes. We were detained at
Hubert by the breaking of the engine about
ffty-fve minutes. At Boone Grove we got
orders to let J6 pass We let her pass. That
delayed US thirty one minutes. When we leave
station we have no written order to start. The
train dispatcher tells US to go Our train had
the rights of the road The freight struck the the
sleeper and pushed the train. 1t crushed the
ladies' car, smoker and baggage car"
John Dorsey, the freight engineer, testified:
Il was 6fty-hve minutes late at Boone Grove
Had orders from Hammond to run train 4S and
carry signals for an extra. Had notice az Crown
Point that train II 1.-THE passenger) was at HUI
berts and TO approach Hnrlbuts carefully. Did
not stop At Hurlbuts. The operator there gave
signal all right The weather clear at
Boone Grove. cav the operator there, and he
gave o signal l the white signal clear at
Boone Grove. In half mile / got into the fog
again. l was not using full steam. l got I'M
easy before we got to the water tank. Although
/ was not to take water there. / shu. off the en-
CINE and gave long whistle and called for
brakes. / was going down grade. did not
the semapbore until got nearly under it, and
then saw it was nearly red could not see it
before for the fog. l reversed the engine and
called again for brakes. ! met the hagman of
train IL between the tank and the semaphore /
jumped about three lengths from the passenger
train. 1t is down grade from Boone Grove to
The tank. There is a small raise in it,"
J. Z. Park, passenger cond uctor, testified the
train nearly two hours late. Lost thirty
minutes at Hammond, waiting on No. g. Be-
tween Hurlbut and Boone Grove the eccentric
strap broke and fifty five minutes lost.
Thirty one minutes were lost at Boone Grove.
to let the Wabash train pass. We left Boone
Grove at Hay p NJ, and stopped for water four
miles of Boone Grove; were there about
three minutes when the freight struck The
wreck took fire at once. We got about eighteen
passengers out; nine were caught in the wreck
and burned | had twenty even passengers
am positive Seventeen continued on to Hunt
ington; one was left at Kouts. The took
fire Immediately and blazed right mp. The sem
aphore was tnrned when we stopped did not
know there was a train coming The semaphore
is 500 feet west of the water tank. Our train
about 300 feet long. When we stopped the
brakeman back with the signal. / saw the
semaphore showed a req light"
The freight conductor testified that his engine
had no sand aud came near staing at Griffith. |
The passenger cars were also ablaZe when he
got to them. Went through Boone Grove at or
binary speed. Did not learn at Hurlbut's how
long the passenger had been gone
The railroad officials gave the coroner all the |
information possible
The announcement that the coroner had |
reached a verdict was a surprise to him He has |
only decided that there were nine deaths After |
returning here in conversation, he stated that |
the fret ght crew started down grade and took it
for granted that the passenger had got out of |
the way. although they did not know it. There |
was thick fog. His idea of the whole trouble |
was that the engine was crippled and the fast |
freight crew supposed to look until |
they got to Kouts. The freight was running too |
fast for safety, although any faster than it |
was allowed to.
The coroner rendered the following verdict |
son the 1lth dav of October, 1887. informa-
ton given that the dead bodies OF a |
number OF persons lay In Porter township, Por- |
ter county, indiana supposed to have come to
their death by violence and casually and, to
ascertain far as possible the cause and cir
cnmstances Of said death, witnesses were called
and sworn and their material evidence reduced
TO writing. signed by myself and filed in the
decedents To be, AS far as know. follows:
DR.. VIM. Perry. wife and daughter, family
supposed to be Mllers, four in number. and one
unknown man. not burned supposed to be from
Dundee, ILL.,, and one unknown person. who
to their death by of in
juries caused by the fast freight train
way Company running into and crush
ing passenger train No. II of said
road, at the State Ditch water-tank, Porter
county Indiana, at or about midnight of Mon
day, Oct. TO- 1857, said accident being
the result of the negligence of tae
train dispatcher of the said road in per-
hitting passenger train No. IL to attempt to run
with a disabled engine knowing that a fast
freight train, No. 4S, was but few minutes be-
hind it; and by the negligence or carelessness of
ngineer Dorsey, of freight train No. 43, run
ming his engine at high rate of speed through
the fog, knowing that passenger train No. II
was but short distance in advance of his train
with a disabled engine; the verdict being in ac-
cordance with the facts: That death resulted
from careesspess negligence the part of
the train dispatcher aud the engineer of the fast
freight No. as AID censurinr the company for
allowing a crippled engine pulling a passenger
train to be the road few minutes in advance
Of fast freight, and by the negligence of en-
gineer Dorsey in not providing his engine with |
sand, and bis recklessness in running at such a |
rate OF speed through the fog"
The Grand Jury Summoned.
VALPARAISO, Ind, Oct. l4-Judge Field, of
the Circuit Court has issued a summons to the
grand jury to convene next Monday and charges
Them with a thorough investigation of the Kouts